Edwards speaks at Hug

Nov. 18, 2007

By ANJEANETTE DAMONadamon@rgj.comIn his fifth campaign visit to Reno on Sunday, Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards accused rival Hillary Clinton of political double talk on the Iraq War.

“She says she will end the war,” Edwards told reporters after a 45-minute speech at Hug High School. “But she also says she will continue combat missions in Iraq and keep combat troops stationed in Iraq. From my perspective that is not ending war. That’s continuing the war. In fact, it is continuing the occupation.”

During his speech, Edwards said he would not continue combat missions in Iraq and would not keep a permanent American military base in the country. “I think this is a fair question,” he said. “You deserve to know not just that we say we’ll end the war, but what specifically we will do to end the war.”Clinton has said she would pursue combat missions in Iraq against the terrorist organization al-Qaida in Iraq.“This is a bogus attack from a candidate who is angry that his own campaign hasn’t taken off,” said Hilarie Grey, Clinton’s Nevada spokeswoman. “The fact is that Sen. Edwards and Sen. Clinton have both said they’d use U.S. forces to go after al-Qaida in Iraq. So it’s unfortunate that Sen. Edwards keeps making this phony charge when he’s out campaigning.”In an interview earlier this month with the Boston Globe, Edwards told the Boston Globe he would continue “expeditions” against al-Qaida in Iraq from outside of the country.Edwards spoke Sunday in a stuffy cafeteria at Hug High School before more than 600 supporters, a lively crowd who repeatedly interrupted his speech with standing ovations.